The University of Trento was founded in 1962 and has always aimed at building alliance and reciprocal efficiency with Italian and foreign institutions and organizations. In 1982, the University (until then private) became public, with a statute that guaranteed self-government.

The Milan Agreement, signed in 2009 between the Government and the Autonomous Province of Trento (together with that of Bolzano and the Regional Authority), regarding the change to the special Statute of autonomy on financial regulations, gave the Province new authority over the University. This is a further step forward in the development of the University and guarantees that the financial resources will be allocated and sufficient.

There are more than 16,000 students, about 600 professors and researchers and the same number of technical and administrative staff: these numbers indicate that the University can provide an ideal environment for study and research.